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The Monument Cemetery of Milan, Italy

It was on our list of ‘to do’ things in Milan but we just happened to have tripped into it while walking about close to our neighborhood apartment. That ‘to do’ item was visiting the cemetery. I know, it doesn’t sound like something you’d typically do on a holiday but this place was both fascinating and spectacular. The ‘Cimitero Monumentale di Milano’ is grandiose, with sculptures that could grace the halls of the Uffizzi, sculptures that are provocative, sorrowful, longing, spiritual and celebratory. It was hard not to feel a welling of emotion surrounded by all these monuments to loss.

The Cemetery designed by Carlo Maciachini was officially opened in 1866 and was planned to consolidate a number of small cemeteries around the city into a single location. Many of the tombs were designed by well know artists of the time and range to the extremely elaborate. I can’t imagine the cost of many of these, the scope of work here. It’s mind-boggling and I don’t even know if the talent would exist now to be able to requisition a monument like these.

We only had time to visit one side of the cemetery, its huge! Here is a link to the pics, have a look- you’ll be totally amazed!